Last year, Australia’s sex discrimination commissioner Kate Jenkins spent six months travelling across Australia to ask women about their own experiences of inequality. 

On Wednesday, International Women's Day, Ms Jenkins released her report on gender equality in Australia.

The report found that incorrect assumptions had been made about the progress of gender equality, and that Australia had a long way to go if men and women were to be truly equal. 

Ms Jenkins said she met with more than 1000 people when putting together the report and found that economic security, violence against women, and women in leadership roles were three of the biggest inequalities facing females today. 

“We are at a critical time for gender equality in Australia,” she said.

“It was particularly striking to hear women’s stories – always moving and often outrageous. 

“Again and again I witnessed tremendous resilience from women overcoming the entrenched obstacles to their progress and men stepping up beside women to advance gender equality.” 

Ms Jenkins said reaching equality would not be easy, and that changes could face “strong opposition”. 

“Nevertheless, there is some promising progress and a template for more,” she said.  

Tasmania’s Support, Help, Empowerment executive officer Alina Thomas said women could also be limited through traditional gender roles and expectations.

“We all really do have a responsibility to be thinking about the role that gender plays in our lives and we do rely on stereotypes which are really quite untrue,” Ms Thomas said. 

“There are actions that we can take individually, in our relationships, in our community and action we need to take on a societal level.”